Hurt
by BerryDrops
Summary: Kory Anders is having some difficulty getting over the loss of a loved one. Enter Richard Grayson your knight in shining armour. Who said love in a cemetary was tacky?


_I'm slightly unsure about this one shot, I feel it may seem a bit pointless and rushed but the idea wouldn't leave me alone so I've decided to post it and see what happens._

_I do not own Teen Titans._

Gotham City Crematorium was a dark place, hundreds of tombstones stuck up from the ground, like unwanted weeds that in the end took over the green grass and brought misery to the world.

Graveyards weren't a very nice place. Why would they be? The people you loved lay there, dead. Even the most hated people in the world have at least one person who would miss them, no matter what.

And how does that person survive? It's not easy dealing with death. You have your moments where you think life will never be the same again, that everything seems much more darker and gloomy.

Kory Anders never really had to deal with death before, the only time she did was when her pet snail Silky had passed away. Her sister as a cruel joke poured salt all over her pet and had bubbled away… literally. But she was ten then so her grieving didn't last long but she had never had a pet since then. If you could call a snail a pet that is.

So when she had received the phone call from Gotham City Hospital asking her to come immediately, she was at a loss when they told her, her brother had been involved in an accident and was in critical damage.

She was terrified, since the age of eighteen Kory had moved out from home to find her own place, her brother; Ryan had followed begging to stay with her. She had reluctantly agreed; she had always had a close relationship with her brother, her parents never really acted like parents and with her oldest sister Komi acting out, it was down to Kory to look after her brother.

They had moved to Gotham and lived together ever since, until he was knocked over by a drunk driver. After a week in hospital Ryan had sadly passed away.

The funeral was two weeks later and Kory was unsure if she should invite her family, in the end she did and they had blamed her for his death. Claiming that a twenty two year old should know how to look after people especially her own brother.

Kory felt even more guilty and now a month later she was still grieving. Never before had Kory felt such heartache. I mean it was her brother for heaven's sake! How do you get over someone so close.

So here she sat on the ground at his grave trying to control her tears. She knew she should of brought some tissues but she had thought she was over this by now, turns out she was wrong and was currently using the sleeve of her jacket to wipe her face.

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Richard Grayson couldn't help but notice the red head across the churchyard, sobbing like the world depended on her too. She was a few years younger then him and was a total mess. Richard had came to give some flowers to his parents joint grave.

It had been sixteen years now since their freak accident at the circus and Richard had grown to accept their deaths. He had been adopted by Bruce Wayne by the age of nine after spending a year in an orphanage.

Now at twenty-four he was a grown man working for his adopted father at Wayne Enterprise that would soon be his when Bruce retired.

The girl was clearly having a breakdown and was running out of room to wipe her eyes on her sleeves. Richard was unsure whether he should go up and comfort her or just leave her be, Richard though about it and decided against it. After all he wouldn't like it if someone came up to him and offered him a shoulder to cry on, and besides it was a churchyard; this was a place for grieving.

So instead he said goodbye to his parents and walked back to his car leaving the girl in peace.

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Another week had passed and it had been raining heavily for a while. Usually Richard visited his parents once a month, but he had been ordered by Bruce to take a week of work. He had been working late nights lately, and Bruce was getting worried for his welfare.

So having nothing else to do Richard visited his parents early one morning, only to find the same girl from a week ago there again. Of course she was aloud to, she was kneeled on the ground again but this time holding up a large umbrella to protect her from the rain. She had nailed it into the ground so it held up on it's own as she arranged the flowers she had brought for her brother.

Kory always wondered why you bring flowers to a grave. It's not like it's doing much use. But she guessed it was a way in honouring the dead and making the cemetery look more colourful.

As she divided the flowers and rearranged them she noticed the same man from a week ago. He was looking at her, but as soon as she made eye contact with him he looked a way and made his way up to his parents grave.

Kory finished arranging the flowers and sat back and simply stared at Ryan's slab.

She had stopped having her breakdowns and instead she just felt empty inside, she guessed this is what happens when you're stuck between grieving and recovering. She thought back to her pet snail and wondered why she didn't feel the same loss between the two.

Granted she was a child when Silky had died but still, she loved that snail. She use to feed him (well she presumed he was a he) her salads her mother use to make her for dinner.

Kory wondered what to do now. She had finished Ryan's flowers and she wasn't really in the mood to cry her soul out to him today, right now all she wanted to do was… well something. Her modelling agency had given her some time off work, they all knew Kory was having trouble dealing with Ryan's death and gave her leave with pay.

She worked for Laura De Mille, her company was called Madame Rouge. Kory never knew why but did think to questions her. Laura wasn't exactly the nicest person to come across, and was surprised when Laura had told Kory to take time off work and to relax.

Kory looked around the churchyard and noticed it was only her, a few elderly people and the mystery guy that kept on staring at her.

She contemplated whether she should confront him about his staring issue but fought against it. A graveyard was not the place to start confrontation and just ignored the man.

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Richard couldn't help look over at the red haired beauty. His friends always joked that he had a weird fetish for red heads.

His first kiss was a red head who had a weird fetish of her own; she was obsessed with poison ivy. His first serious girlfriend was a red head; Barbara Gordon, then he had his best friend who was a red head; Wally West and he had another close friend of his whom to was… you guessed it; a red had (Roy Harper). Of course he knew other people that weren't red heads like his other close friends Victor Stone, Garfield Logan (who had dyed his hair green) and many more.

Richard realised that he was still staring and averted his eyes and paid attention to his parents grave. He ignored the rain and just stood staring at there grave stones. His parents were wonderful people, and not a day had gone by when Richard couldn't help but think about them, he missed them but he was over the stage where all he wanted to do was cry.

He heard an '_oomph'_ and turned around to see the red head having trouble with her umbrella, it seemed to of gotten away from her and was blowing away by the sudden wind. Her hands were busy holding onto her bag and the wrappers that once contained the flowers.

Richard walked over and picked up her umbrella and held it over her head. "Thank you," Kory thanked loudly over the increasing wind and rain. Richard smiled in return, they walked over towards the outside bin that was nailed to the ground and Kory dumped her rubbish in there. She readjusted her bag and reached for her umbrella.

"Thanks, are you leaving?"

"Yeah why?" Richard asked confused.

"I'll walk you over to your car, it doesn't look like you an umbrella," Kory laughed but it went unheard by the impending storm.

"No it's fine!"

"Don't be daft," Kory said, suddenly this guy didn't seem so bad and Kory was grateful that she hadn't spoke to him earlier after his staring. "I'm Kory by the way."

"Richard," the two didn't shake hands to busy walking towards his car. Richard searched for his car keys, "where's your car?"

"I don't have one I walked."

"You walked?" Richard asked incredulously. "Well are you calling a cab?"

"No, why?" Kory asked confused. "A storm is coming, I can't have you walk home in this weather."

"Oh no I'm fine honestly."

"Come on please. You saved me from the rain let me return the favour."

"You did by giving me my umbrella," Kory laughed but Richard wasn't having any of it.

"Where do you live?"

Kory sighed but reluctantly gave in, "32 Ford Street."

"That's not far, you live near me," Richard unlocked his car and ordered Kory to get in. Kory obliged and pulled down her umbrella. The two sat in his car as Kory put on her seat belt Richard turned on the heating.

"You really don't have to do this," Kory's voice was clearer now and she didn't need to yell anymore.

"I'd be insane if I let you walk home in this," to help Richard's point it started to hail. "See?"

Kory smiled and leaned back in her seat. "Thank you, but I promise to make this up to you, so where about do you live?"

"Gretchen Avenue," Kory nodded her head, "one of the penthouses there."

"You live in a penthouse?" Kory asked impressed.

"Yeah, no big deal really. Why what do you live in?"

"Just a normal house."

"You live in a house all on your own?"

Kory looked down for a moment trying to control her emotions, "my brother use to live there with me."

"Oh," Richard understood what she was saying. "Is he the one you've been visiting?"

Kory took her time in answering, "yeah he is. He passed away about two months ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, unless you were the drunk driver that ran him over." The two remained silent for a while not really thinking. "Who were you visiting?"

"My parents."

"Oh," Kory's 'oh' was more surprising then Richards. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, unless you were the one that killed them," Richard teased using her words back at her.

Kory smiled and turned her attention out through the window. Richard decided to pick up from there conversation but changed it to a more happy one. "So it's a Monday afternoon, why aren't you in work?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Kory joked. "My boss surprisingly gave me some time off work. And yourself?"

"Same here, Bruce; my father and boss, thinks I've been working to hard." The two laughed and continued talking until Richard reached Ford Street. "It was nice meeting you Kory."

"You too Richard, and you never know, we might run into each other again." Kory unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. "Thank you for the lift home. I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all, good bye Kory."

So the two went there separate ways and it wasn't until another month later that they ran into each other again at the graveyard.

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Kory had brought some new flowers for Ryan; the old ones had already died, but she was having some trouble with them though, they were a bit to long at the stem and stuck up ridiculously in their flower pot.

"Need some help?" A familiar voice asked behind Kory, the weather had turned cold and autumn was kicking in. Standing behind her with a bag of flowers himself and a pair of scissors was Richard Grayson.

"Yes please, the stems are too long," Richard handed her his scissors and she cut at the stems. "How are you?" Kory asked cutting away at the flowers as Richard stood beside her crouched form waiting for his scissors.

"I'm alright, works been busy."

"Oh? I forgot to ask where do you work?"

"Wayne Enterprises, and yourself?"

"Madame Rouge Modelling Agency," Richard was surprised. He agreed with himself that Kory was a very beautiful woman but he never knew she was a model.

"You're a model?"

"Yep, I know not a very full filling job but I love it there," Kory finished chopping away at the flowers and handed Richard his scissors back standing alongside him.

"No I think modelling suits you well," Kory gave him a questioning look and Richard blushed. "I'll just go visit my parents grave now," Richard tried to walk off but Kory linked her arm through his so she walked alongside him.

"It's fine," Kory comforted they made their way up the small hill to his parents graves and stood there as Richard fiddled with his own flowers. "Stop you're doing it all wrong," Kory took Richard's flowers and scissors and stopped him from cutting anymore of the stems. "You're meant to do it diagonally."

"Oh look who's suddenly a flower cutting expert." Kory giggled at Richard's joke and the two continued talking. It was coming half past five in the evening and the two had realised they had spent two hours just talking at the graveyard.

"I think I should head home," Kory said looking down at the time.

"Alright," Richard agreed but before they started moving Richard stopped her. "hey I don't know if you're busy this weekend but I was wondering…"

Richard was cut off from Kory, "wait before you ask me what I think you're going to ask me, hold on." She grabbed the sleeve of Richard's jacket and pulled him past the many gravestones and out through the gate. "Ok continue."

"Erm I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner… why did you…?"

"I'm sorry I just thought it would be totally inappropriate you asking me out at a cemetery. But yes I would love to go out on a date with you."

Richard laughed at the bubbly red head and handed her his cell phone so they could switch number. After the transition Richard walked Kory over to her car which she explained she brought so no more strangers would offer her a ride home.

"Fair enough," Richard laughed, the two stared at each other momentarily waiting for something to happen. "So I'll give you a ring later this week about next Saturday."

"Alright," Kory smiled up at Richard suddenly shy. She felt like a little school girl deep down inside. She hesitantly wondered if it would be totally inappropriate if she gave him a kiss or if she should just wait until Saturday. But Richard beat her to it and leaned down and gave her one.

It was short but soft and the two pulled away with smiles on their faces. "I'll call you, bye Kory."

"Goodbye Richard," and the two went their separate ways looking forward to next Saturday.

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And fin. Wow that hurt my neck for some reason, anyway please read and review :D

Constructive criticism welcome.


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